Ralph Wilsons Legacy

[Augie]

23 hours ago, KzooMike said:

Some really good responses. I understand the polarizing nature of all of it. Some of you just know more about Ralph and the story than I do. All I know, even not being a WNY native, if the team ever left Buffalo it would be over for me. I'm just very thankful that we have our team. 

 

Ralph was cheap. And Ralph was also generous. If he was ALL about the money, the Bills would have been moved many years ago. If you think he made a lot of money when his estate sold the team for $1.4 Billion, tell me how much he could have made had he moved to a large market like LA. Then he gave most of that money away to good causes.

 

But he was also cheap, and not a great owner. OK, a BAD and often meddling owner, who was capable of great generosity. Both of these things can be true, and I think you’d need to know the man to understand the full picture. 

 

The bottom line to me is that the team is still in WNY and I am still 100% behind them. That’s good enough to me, the rest is forgiven. Thank you Ralph for making this come true. 

 

 

.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Augie

[cba fan]

12 hours ago, WIDE LEFT said:

I never understand the concept of giving thanks & praise to Wilson for “keeping” the Bills in Buffalo. His $25,000 investment in the Bills turned into  a billion dollar + financial bonanza for him. Isn’t that thanks enough. So many people have done so much more and received far far less in financial award for their efforts & sacrifice. One of the cheapest, most meddlesome owners in NFL history reaped much more than he deserved.

Agreed and all this revisionist history that Ralph put in place for Bills to remain in Buffalo after his death is very wrong.

He set in place the team going to highest bidder regardless of bidder.

 

He was against the 400 million penalty for moving that the county insisted on for last lease he signed with them. He knew that would turn bidders away and he wanted it to go for max price.

 

Even that had a loophole to get out. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/buffalo-bills-stadium-site-owner-sale-of-team-design-firm-aecom-new-york-area-ralph-wilson-toronto/wfd8lkhcgoz1225umnxg0fok

Edited July 12, 2021 by cba fan

[BADOLBILZ]

5 hours ago, Patrick_Duffy said:

Where did the "Ralph is cheap" come from anyway? I mean was it something that a few fans started to say and it spread from there? I guess it had to be because Hard for me to think the any reporter from the media would say something like that. 

 

 

I think it was co-created by people who didn't know how to quantify his issues and those who wanted to create a defense for him.

 

You could always point to a bunch of times where he spent big money..........the parity encouraging system of the NFL makes it more than an accident when you end up with opportunities to get star players.........and star players will get paid.

 

Then you could always point to embarrassingly cheap things he did...........like getting beaten by the ***** Montreal Alouettes of the CFL for #1 overall pick Tom Cousineau.  Or getting players like Cribbs and Kelly poached by the upstart USFL. 

 

But it was never just about being cheap..........it was about bad football decisions and a lot of them just happened to involve being cheap.

[cba fan]

2 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

I think it was co-created by people who didn't know how to quantify his issues and those who wanted to create a defense for him.

 

You could always point to a bunch of times where he spent big money..........the parity encouraging system of the NFL makes it more than an accident when you end up with opportunities to get star players.........and star players will get paid.

 

Then you could always point to embarrassingly cheap things he did...........like getting beaten by the ***** Montreal Alouettes of the CFL for #1 overall pick Tom Cousineau.  Or getting players like Cribbs and Kelly poached by the upstart USFL. 

 

But it was never just about being cheap..........it was about bad football decisions and a lot of them just happened to involve being cheap.

his "cash to cap" spending philosophy took Bills out of running for FA's and exiled them to mediocrity for approx. two decades.

It was a good plan "IF" he could have gotten the other teams to follow it. But only a couple did. Bengals for one. Not a winning model to follow. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

For those knocking Buffalo as a city for the franchise, those were different times. Lamar Hunt specifically targeted Buffalo. There was already a strong tradition of pro football in the city and region.  It was the 20th largest city in the country in 1960, and was still an industrial powerhouse up until that time. 
 

so, yeah, Wilson bought a team in Buffalo, but it was a great investment in a strategic market. 

[BornAgainBillsFan]

21 hours ago, Beast said:

Always thankful for Ralph. I cursed his name many times but I have a hometown football team to root for because of the man. (and the Pegula's)

THIS^^^^^^^

 

I've heaped praise upon the Pegulas in this forum for preventing this team from becoming the Toronto Rockers in October of 2014, and keeping my beloved hometown team in my beloved hometown. So I must do the same for Mr. Wilson for the previous 60 years. I hope he's getting a kick out of watching Josh ball out from that great luxury box in the sky.

[Greg S]

Ralph deserves credit for keeping the team in Buffalo. His teams had their moments, 64-65 AFL champions, 80-81, the Super Bowl years but mostly he was a bad owner as the W's and L's prove.

 

[BADOLBILZ]

5 hours ago, BornAgainBillsFan said:

THIS^^^^^^^

 

I've heaped praise upon the Pegulas in this forum for preventing this team from becoming the Toronto Rockers in October of 2014, and keeping my beloved hometown team in my beloved hometown. So I must do the same for Mr. Wilson for the previous 60 years. I hope he's getting a kick out of watching Josh ball out from that great luxury box in the sky.

 

I will say that at least Ralph was competitive..........if not consistently on the field at least with his fellow owners over profits.

 

It could be worse........Cubs fans endured ownership that wasn't terribly concerned with winning for the better part of 100 years.    Imagine if the Bills were owned by a local news rag........if people think the Pegula's influence what's written in Buffalo..

 

The moral of the Cubs situation though is that it's not healthy or even appropriate to just be grateful you have something to pay for.     These owners are selling you the competitive spirit that comes with a pro sports team......it's OK to hold them to that standard.  You can appreciate the Pegula's keeping the teams in town but also know that they are possibly the worst on-ice stewards of hockey in NHL history.

[May Day 10]

Like most people, there is both good and bad with Ralph Wilson.

 

I appreciate that he is the founder of the Bills... and by all measures, the team remained here for 50+ years of his ownership and still remains.  

 

Great sports-businessman and a 'founder' of the true NFL.  The AFL story is a great one.

 

Also appreciative of the philanthropic contributions to the community.

 

 

As far as putting a winner on the field though, he was not a great owner for that.  If we had to endure another 10-20 years of how the team was run from about 2004-2013, then why bother?  Results on the field were often held back due to Wilson's personal involvement.  When they were humming under Polian, wilson put a stick in the spokes, then again under Butler.  Late 60s through the 70s were also really bad.   

 

I truly believe Wilson had figured/planned on the Bills getting sold to Ted Rogers and moved to Toronto upon his passing.  The Toronto series was basically a dry run and showcase for the city of Toronto.  I don't think it was ill intent by Wilson, just the logical direction everything was pointing.  Rogers, though had passed away earlier than expected, his family kind of a mess, and the pricing structure and irrelevance of the Bills hurt the optics of the Toronto series.

 

We also got very fortunate the Bills were able to remain with the perfect-storm timing of the new lease, NRA, and Mr. Wilson's death.  That along with Pegula coming onto the scene as a guy with like $7 Billion, much liquid and loving sports and Buffalo made it virtually impossible for an outside interest to buy and move the team (and build a stadium elsewhere).  

 

 

Overall, I look at it like the Bills are a thing I love.  Wilson is the father of the Bills, and they are still here.  As much as I sounded off on Wilson during the whole Russ Brandon pretend-GM era, I view him in a positive light.

[4_kidd_4]

Still like Ralph better than zero personality Terry LaMoolah. 

 

 

[JohnNord]

On 7/11/2021 at 5:47 AM, KzooMike said:

As I sit here in what I consider to be the arm pit of Ohio, Toledo, a city of 276k, packed with probably as many restaurants as it has citizens. Median household income of 37k. How is that even possible? Then I look at Buffalo and go figure, exact same population and exact same median income. I also understand like any city outlying suburbs have more money. About double the median income, again, no different than Toledo. I also understand the impacts of Buffalo having Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto close by. Toledo is blocked by the Lions about an hour north, Cleveland an hour and half east, but you aren't getting near a pro football team anywhere inside an hours drive. Again, not all that different on distance compared to the outside populations that support the Bills. This is probably the biggest edge Buffalo has in a debate of why they should have a pro football team vs a city like Toledo that is so similar. 

 

I'm 30 years into this, like Ralph, from the Detroit area. I understand Ralph was a cheap and meddling owner and he drove us bat crazy. That said, I don't think I have read one positive post about Ralph Wilson since Terry grabbed the torch. I don't see Bills fans as thankful for what Ralph gave us and that's not what I have come to associate myself with in being a Bills fan. We are a die hard, loyal, appreciative group.

 

Can we start appreciating Ralph for what he did and not the things he failed at doing? If the NFL picked a location for each team starting anew, Buffalo isn't on the list. They aren't even on the 2nd list. Ralph put Buffalo on the list and he kept us there. I don't care about the ways he failed. What he did for WNY is special and it should always be considered special. 

I always thought that Ralph has somewhat of a complicated legacy because when you look at Ralph the person he did some great things for WNY.  When you look at Ralph as the football owner he was not very good for most of his tenure.  
 

Where it gets complicated is that you can’t take one part and not the other.  So you can’t say he should be celebrated as owner for his charity and keeping the team in Buffalo without recognizing the immense damage he did to the franchise for nearly 2 decades toward the end of his tenure.

 

You also can’t say he was a terrible owner without recognizing that there might not be a football team in Buffalo otherwise.  
 

One thing is for certain though - the drought years which were the darkest and most frustrating time for most Bills fans of the modern generation were 110% Ralph’s fault.  His stubbornness, ignorance and overall incompetence did a lot of damage to the franchise.

 

Perhaps it’s his generosity to local colleges and charities, but I feel many often dance around the elephant in the room.

[JohnNord]

9 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

Like most people, there is both good and bad with Ralph Wilson.

 

I appreciate that he is the founder of the Bills... and by all measures, the team remained here for 50+ years of his ownership and still remains.  

 

Great sports-businessman and a 'founder' of the true NFL.  The AFL story is a great one.

 

Also appreciative of the philanthropic contributions to the community.

 

 

As far as putting a winner on the field though, he was not a great owner for that.  If we had to endure another 10-20 years of how the team was run from about 2004-2013, then why bother?  Results on the field were often held back due to Wilson's personal involvement.  When they were humming under Polian, wilson put a stick in the spokes, then again under Butler.  Late 60s through the 70s were also really bad.   

 

I truly believe Wilson had figured/planned on the Bills getting sold to Ted Rogers and moved to Toronto upon his passing.  The Toronto series was basically a dry run and showcase for the city of Toronto.  I don't think it was ill intent by Wilson, just the logical direction everything was pointing.  Rogers, though had passed away earlier than expected, his family kind of a mess, and the pricing structure and irrelevance of the Bills hurt the optics of the Toronto series.

 

We also got very fortunate the Bills were able to remain with the perfect-storm timing of the new lease, NRA, and Mr. Wilson's death.  That along with Pegula coming onto the scene as a guy with like $7 Billion, much liquid and loving sports and Buffalo made it virtually impossible for an outside interest to buy and move the team (and build a stadium elsewhere).  

 

 

Overall, I look at it like the Bills are a thing I love.  Wilson is the father of the Bills, and they are still here.  As much as I sounded off on Wilson during the whole Russ Brandon pretend-GM era, I view him in a positive light.

Agree with everything you said, the only difference is that I view him in more of negative light due to the product he put on the field.

[Ned Flanders]

On 7/11/2021 at 12:06 PM, Mr. WEO said:

Ralph didn't want Buffalo.  He wanted to start an AFL team in Miami but Hunt turned him down. 

 

My recollection is that Miami, and the Orange Bowl committee, turned Ralph down because they felt burned by the short-lived AAFC team that was oversold them a few years earlier.

[Augie]

39 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

I always thought that Ralph has somewhat of a complicated legacy because when you look at Ralph the person he did some great things for WNY.  When you look at Ralph as the football owner he was not very good for most of his tenure.  
 

Where it gets complicated is that you can’t take one part and not the other.  So you can’t say he should be celebrated as owner for his charity and keeping the team in Buffalo without recognizing the immense damage he did to the franchise for nearly 2 decades toward the end of his tenure.

 

You also can’t say he was a terrible owner without recognizing that there might not be a football team in Buffalo otherwise.  
 

One thing is for certain though - the drought years which were the darkest and most frustrating time for most Bills fans of the modern generation were 110% Ralph’s fault.  His stubbornness, ignorance and overall incompetence did a lot of damage to the franchise.

 

Perhaps it’s his generosity to local colleges and charities, but I feel many often dance around the elephant in the room.

 

I don’t disagree, other than to say I don’t dance around the elephant as much as I forgive his many shortcomings because, above all else, he made sure the Bills stayed in WNY. I can put aside his meddling and more losses than wins. And I can appreciate but look past his enormous generosity. The Bills are still our team, and the other things are very real, but secondary to me. 

[Patrick Duffy]

6 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

I don’t disagree, other than to say I don’t dance around the elephant as much as I forgive his many shortcomings because, above all else, he made sure the Bills stayed in WNY. I can put aside his meddling and more losses than wins. And I can appreciate but look past his enormous generosity. The Bills are still our team, and the other things are very real, but secondary to me. 

 

Yup and that kinda trumps everything else in the long run imo. because without that.....we have nothing as Bills fans.

[Mr. WEO]

42 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

I don’t disagree, other than to say I don’t dance around the elephant as much as I forgive his many shortcomings because, above all else, he made sure the Bills stayed in WNY. I can put aside his meddling and more losses than wins. And I can appreciate but look past his enormous generosity. The Bills are still our team, and the other things are very real, but secondary to me. 

 

Bills weren't going anywhere--that was the genius of Ralph.... to this day! He was never ever going to move the team, despite his threats.  Each time he hinted at it, the Clouting rolled over and gave he what he wanted.  

[Patrick Duffy]

7 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Bills weren't going anywhere--that was the genius of Ralph.... to this day! He was never ever going to move the team, despite his threats.  Each time he hinted at it, the Clouting rolled over and gave he what he wanted.  

I only know of once he talked of moving them in 1971 to Seattle. I could be wrong but I can't recall any other time he tried it.

[Augie]

10 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Bills weren't going anywhere--that was the genius of Ralph.... to this day! He was never ever going to move the team, despite his threats.  Each time he hinted at it, the Clouting rolled over and gave he what he wanted.  

 

You missed the point entirely. I don’t CARE if it was just a threat. The Bills COULD have gone but they STAYED. THAT is my bottom line. Period. 

[Doc]

He kept the team in Buffalo, a city that few players wanted to play/live in because of the weather and market size (the same reason they didn't want to play in GB, which had no owner).  That, the Cheaters' dominance during that time period, the NFL moving to a 4 division conference while still keeping 6 playoff teams, and the Bills not finding a franchise QB are the reasons for the drought.  But I'd rather have Terry because he'll also keep the team in Buffalo and he's got deeper pockets.

 

1 minute ago, Augie said:

You missed the point entirely. I don’t CARE if it was just a threat. The Bills COULD have gone but they STAYED. THAT is my bottom line. Period. 

 

Yup.  He had numerous opportunities but was a staunch opponent of franchises moving.

[Bob Chandler's Hands]

On 7/11/2021 at 4:00 PM, clearwater cadet said:

I agree with you, but I believe he was planning to sell the team to Ted Rodgers and move them to Toronto at the time of his death, the only thing that stopped that is Ted died before Ralph at a much younger age.  I don't miss Ralph either and this constant reminders of the competitive disadvantage that come with owning a team in WNY.

Except that he literally set things up to ensure the team would not be easily moved from Buffalo. So your 'belief' appears to be completely unfounded. 

44 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Bills weren't going anywhere--that was the genius of Ralph.... to this day! He was never ever going to move the team, despite his threats.  Each time he hinted at it, the Clouting rolled over and gave he what he wanted.  

It's called negotiating. He was a businessman. 

[clearwater cadet]

5 hours ago, Bob Chandler's Hands said:

Except that he literally set things up to ensure the team would not be easily moved from Buffalo. So your 'belief' appears to be completely unfounded. 

It's called negotiating. He was 

Its been a long time, but I don't remember him setting anything up to prevent the team from being moved, at least when they started the Toronto series.  I remember a penalty for breaking the lease  with county, but it was nothing significant.  I really don't remember anything in which he went out of his way to keep the team in WNY.  I'm sure he was a good person and good business man, I just don't think he was good owner.  I alway thought as fan we deserved better.

[Mr. WEO]

7 hours ago, Bob Chandler's Hands said:

Except that he literally set things up to ensure the team would not be easily moved from Buffalo. So your 'belief' appears to be completely unfounded. 

It's called negotiating. He was a businessman. 

The point was the Bills weren’t going anywhere.  As you say, it was a negotiation bluff.

8 hours ago, Augie said:

 

You missed the point entirely. I don’t CARE if it was just a threat. The Bills COULD have gone but they STAYED. THAT is my bottom line. Period. 

I guess any team can go anywhere whenever then, by that argument.
 

 

[Gugny]

On 7/11/2021 at 6:35 AM, Chandler#81 said:

Ralph, more than any one person, was singularly responsible for at least 30 years of terrible, often embarrassing football.

 

This, to me, is Ralph Wilson's legacy captured in one sentence.

[BuffaloBill]

On 7/11/2021 at 5:47 AM, KzooMike said:

As I sit here in what I consider to be the arm pit of Ohio, Toledo, a city of 276k, packed with probably as many restaurants as it has citizens. Median household income of 37k. How is that even possible? Then I look at Buffalo and go figure, exact same population and exact same median income. I also understand like any city outlying suburbs have more money. About double the median income, again, no different than Toledo. I also understand the impacts of Buffalo having Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto close by. Toledo is blocked by the Lions about an hour north, Cleveland an hour and half east, but you aren't getting near a pro football team anywhere inside an hours drive. Again, not all that different on distance compared to the outside populations that support the Bills. This is probably the biggest edge Buffalo has in a debate of why they should have a pro football team vs a city like Toledo that is so similar. 

 

I'm 30 years into this, like Ralph, from the Detroit area. I understand Ralph was a cheap and meddling owner and he drove us bat crazy. That said, I don't think I have read one positive post about Ralph Wilson since Terry grabbed the torch. I don't see Bills fans as thankful for what Ralph gave us and that's not what I have come to associate myself with in being a Bills fan. We are a die hard, loyal, appreciative group.

 

Can we start appreciating Ralph for what he did and not the things he failed at doing? If the NFL picked a location for each team starting anew, Buffalo isn't on the list. They aren't even on the 2nd list. Ralph put Buffalo on the list and he kept us there. I don't care about the ways he failed. What he did for WNY is special and it should always be considered special. 

 

 

I agree with your premise. However, remember when the Bills landed a franchise in Buffalo the city was considered large and it was projected to grow. Decades later, throw in high taxes, climate and the appeal of coastal cities (in general) and your story takes on a new meaning. Upstate New York is over ally impacted by its history (politics) and climate. It has been unable to emerge from either.

 

[JMF2006]

On 7/11/2021 at 5:47 AM, KzooMike said:

As I sit here in what I consider to be the arm pit of Ohio, Toledo, a city of 276k, packed with probably as many restaurants as it has citizens. Median household income of 37k. How is that even possible? Then I look at Buffalo and go figure, exact same population and exact same median income. I also understand like any city outlying suburbs have more money. About double the median income, again, no different than Toledo. I also understand the impacts of Buffalo having Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto close by. Toledo is blocked by the Lions about an hour north, Cleveland an hour and half east, but you aren't getting near a pro football team anywhere inside an hours drive. Again, not all that different on distance compared to the outside populations that support the Bills. This is probably the biggest edge Buffalo has in a debate of why they should have a pro football team vs a city like Toledo that is so similar. 

 

I'm 30 years into this, like Ralph, from the Detroit area. I understand Ralph was a cheap and meddling owner and he drove us bat crazy. That said, I don't think I have read one positive post about Ralph Wilson since Terry grabbed the torch. I don't see Bills fans as thankful for what Ralph gave us and that's not what I have come to associate myself with in being a Bills fan. We are a die hard, loyal, appreciative group.

 

Can we start appreciating Ralph for what he did and not the things he failed at doing? If the NFL picked a location for each team starting anew, Buffalo isn't on the list. They aren't even on the 2nd list. Ralph put Buffalo on the list and he kept us there. I don't care about the ways he failed. What he did for WNY is special and it should always be considered special. 

 

I have seen lots of positive posts about Ralph.

 

We the fans have Ralph to thank for inserting the "Poison Pill" in the lease deal which made it prohibitively expensive to relocate this franchise after the sale in case of an outside buyer obtaining control.

 

Plus Ralphs  legacy lives on in Buffalo with his charitable foundation .

 

Ralph was like the guy with the 2m house working a 65k per year job....enough money to get by but not truly rich until he sells.

 

 

[Bill from NYC]

I think that Ralph was a good man and a great  businessman. If Ralph had 100 lives, he would be rich 100 times.

 

I am also of the opinion that Ralph was senile for some time before he died. Does anyone remember when he said that he needed to get "more involved?" What a mess that turned out to be! Hiring Levy/Jauron was probably the dumbest move I have ever seen any sports franchise make. It made hiring the lazy, useless Rex Ryan look like a smart move in comparison. Levy was clearly overmatched and done at the time. 

 

But, even given the above; I will always be grateful to him for keeping the Bills where they are, and even still think of the stadium as "The Ralph."

[Don Otreply]

11 hours ago, JohnNord said:

I always thought that Ralph has somewhat of a complicated legacy because when you look at Ralph the person he did some great things for WNY.  When you look at Ralph as the football owner he was not very good for most of his tenure.  
 

Where it gets complicated is that you can’t take one part and not the other.  So you can’t say he should be celebrated as owner for his charity and keeping the team in Buffalo without recognizing the immense damage he did to the franchise for nearly 2 decades toward the end of his tenure.

 

You also can’t say he was a terrible owner without recognizing that there might not be a football team in Buffalo otherwise.  
 

One thing is for certain though - the drought years which were the darkest and most frustrating time for most Bills fans of the modern generation were 110% Ralph’s fault.  His stubbornness, ignorance and overall incompetence did a lot of damage to the franchise.

 

Perhaps it’s his generosity to local colleges and charities, but I feel many often dance around the elephant in the room.

Good points made, for Ralph, every period of success he and the Bills had, it was followed by decades of mediocrity, he never seemed all that interested in the sustained success thing.
 

I just assumed he was busy making even more money in his other endeavors, so the Bills were literally just a hobby for him, so it really never mattered that much to his portfolio. 

[Mr. WEO]

3 hours ago, JMF2006 said:

 

I have seen lots of positive posts about Ralph.

 

We the fans have Ralph to thank for inserting the "Poison Pill" in the lease deal which made it prohibitively expensive to relocate this franchise after the sale in case of an outside buyer obtaining control.

 

Plus Ralphs  legacy lives on in Buffalo with his charitable foundation .

 

Ralph was like the guy with the 2m house working a 65k 20-40 million dollar per year job....enough money to get by but not truly rich until he sells.

 

 

 

Fixed for accuracy.

[Wacka]

He was the biggest donor to WNY Hospice.  His foundation is  paying for the redoing LaSalle Park  on the waterfront. Also bailed out the *Patriots when they almost went under in the early 60s.

[May Day 10]

Wilson didnt insert the NRA fee amount.  That side of the negotiation would be pressed by the county.  That would be like negotiating for higher rates on your car.  The Bills ask for money, the County/State demands more assurance.   What happened, was Wilson passed before the paint was dry on the renovations, creating a daunting lame duck period for an out-of-town owner, or a pricey buyout to be combined with relocation fees, new facility, and purchase price.

 

The most important factor in the Bills remaining in Buffalo is/was the existence of Terry Pegula and his financial situation.

 

Wilson always said the Bills would be sold to the highest bidder, and that they were.  The perfect storm of the timing of his death created an ideal situation that didnt make this thing overly appealing for out-of-town bidders.  Had he passed away in 2008, 2011, or 2020, it would have been a much different story.  Without Pegula, who knows?

 

Wilson never moved the team, and good on him.  I do think over the years he was wasnt wired to make a huge splash and up-front financial commitment it would take to relocate an NFL team.  Instead of dealing with a brand new stadium and forking over relocation fees, he seemed content to just collect his yearly profit and watch the team value increase steadily.  

[Wagon Circler]

In 1959 when the Bills were founded, Buffalo was the 14th largest city in the country. It was no huge largess putting a team there. People act like he did us a favor.

[DeltaDigital]

Catch 22... he was the worst owner in pro sports after 1995. Had he sold when his time was up (Looking at you jerry jones) the Team might not be in Buffalo... so while he was a trash owner for the last 20 years of his ownership, his legacy now is that he held out long enough to ensure continuity for buffalo. 17 years of non competitive football be dammed, I'd say it worked out. 

 

[clearwater cadet]

8 hours ago, JMF2006 said:

 

I have seen lots of positive posts about Ralph.

 

We the fans have Ralph to thank for inserting the "Poison Pill" in the lease deal which made it prohibitively expensive to relocate this franchise after the sale in case of an outside buyer obtaining control.

 

Plus Ralphs  legacy lives on in Buffalo with his charitable foundation .

 

Ralph was like the guy with the 2m house working a 65k per year job....enough money to get by but not truly rich until he sells.

 

 

What was the poison pill in the lease deal?  I remember it slightly, but I don't remember being such a big amount that it would deter anyone with the ability to buy a team for moving them thou?

4 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

Wilson didnt insert the NRA fee amount.  That side of the negotiation would be pressed by the county.  That would be like negotiating for higher rates on your car.  The Bills ask for money, the County/State demands more assurance.   What happened, was Wilson passed before the paint was dry on the renovations, creating a daunting lame duck period for an out-of-town owner, or a pricey buyout to be combined with relocation fees, new facility, and purchase price.

 

The most important factor in the Bills remaining in Buffalo is/was the existence of Terry Pegula and his financial situation.

 

Wilson always said the Bills would be sold to the highest bidder, and that they were.  The perfect storm of the timing of his death created an ideal situation that didnt make this thing overly appealing for out-of-town bidders.  Had he passed away in 2008, 2011, or 2020, it would have been a much different story.  Without Pegula, who knows?

 

Wilson never moved the team, and good on him.  I do think over the years he was wasnt wired to make a huge splash and up-front financial commitment it would take to relocate an NFL team.  Instead of dealing with a brand new stadium and forking over relocation fees, he seemed content to just collect his yearly profit and watch the team value increase steadily.  

Ted Rogers passing had a lot to do with it as well.

5 hours ago, Wacka said:

He was the biggest donor to WNY Hospice.  His foundation is  paying for the redoing LaSalle Park  on the waterfront. Also bailed out the *Patriots when they almost went under in the early 60s.

Think it was the Raiders not the Pats?

[Wacka]

30 minutes ago, clearwater cadet said:

 

Think it was the Raiders not the Pats?

Both

[Don Otreply]

2 hours ago, clearwater cadet said:

What was the poison pill in the lease deal?  I remember it slightly, but I don't remember being such a big amount that it would deter anyone with the ability to buy a team for moving them thou?

Ted Rogers passing had a lot to do with it as well.

Think it was the Raiders not the Pats?

It was both.

[Green Lightning]

On 7/11/2021 at 6:35 AM, Chandler#81 said:

??😳 

I don’t know of anyone here who’s old enough to personally know the history of the team, that doesn’t appreciate Ralphs’ commitment to WNY. But the warts are plenty.

*Routinely threatened to move the team

*Consistent meddling in the team operation with disastrous results

*Put friends in high places with little to no experience-including Head Coach!

*Notoriously cheap in contract negotiations 

 

Ralph, more than any one person, was singularly responsible for at least 30 years of terrible, often embarrassing football. At the root of it all, he wanted to own the Lions. (See our original uniforms) Under the gun to name a host city by Lamar Hunt, his Miami preference fell through and we were his default position. He never called Buffalo home and never wanted to. Yes, he was charitable. He was instrumental ($$) in keeping the AFL afloat. He brought us The Bills! He made sure the team would stay here following his death. For these actions alone, he’s a positive part of the WNY story. But the ‘Good’ legacy ends there.

 

I don’t miss him.

I lived through all of that as well. But without him we'd have no pro football. The way he set his estate all but assured the Bills would be here. I am eternally grateful to Ralph, warts and all. Hey, we went to 4 straight SBs and took two AFL championships. The game passed him by but learned how to endeavor to persevere and live to see the team we have now. I chose to look forward and that is only possible thanks to Ralph. 

[Doc]

3 hours ago, Wagon Circler said:

In 1959 when the Bills were founded, Buffalo was the 14th largest city in the country. It was no huge largess putting a team there. People act like he did us a favor.

 

It was 39th by 1980.  The largess wasn't initially putting the team in Buffalo.

[Wagon Circler]

3 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

It was 39th by 1980.  The largess wasn't initially putting the team in Buffalo.

So he was going to move with an 80,000 seat stadium that was 8 years old?

[Doc]

23 minutes ago, Wagon Circler said:

So he was going to move with an 80,000 seat stadium that was 8 years old?

 

That was meant to illustrate that Buffalo didn't remain the 14th largest city for long.  But OK, how about 50th in population by 1990? 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Doc

[Ethan in Cleveland]

I think people have missed out on his greatest achievement.  He was instrumental in negotiating revenue sharing between the franchises.  That is his greatest legacy.